The Emerging Middle Class

Source 1
Gradually, very gradually, a middle class, or middling sort, did emerge in industrial cities, mostly
toward the end of the 19th century. Until then, there had been only two major classes in society:
aristocrats born into their lives of wealth and privilege, and low-income commoners born in the
working classes. However new urban industries gradually required more of what we call today
white collar jobs, such as business people, shopkeepers, bank clerks, insurance agents,
merchants, accountants, managers, doctors, lawyers, and teachers. [Middle-class people tended to
have monthly or yearly salaries rather than hourly wages.] One piece of evidence of this emerging
middle class was the rise of retail shops in England that increased from 300 in 1875 to 2,600 by
1890 (Ashton page #?). Another mark of distinction of the middle class was their ability to hire
servants to cook and clean the house from time to time. Not surprisingly, from 1851 to 1871, the
number of domestic servants increased from 900,000 to 1.4 million. (Ashton *** need to find page
#) This is proof of a small but rising middle class that prided themselves on taking responsibility for
themselves and their families. They viewed professional success as the result of a persons energy,
perseverance, and hard work.

In this new middle class, families became a sanctuary from stressful industrial life. Home remained
separate from work and took on the role of emotional support, where women of the house
created a moral and spiritual safe harbor away from the rough-and-tumble industrial world
outside. Most middle-class adult women were discouraged from working outside the home. They
could afford to send their children to school. As children became more of an economic burden, and
better health care decreased infant mortality, middle-class women gave birth to fewer children.

What role, if any, do you think the government should take to improve the lives of middle-class
families? Choose the answer that best represents your point of view:

1.The government should not intervene in the private family lives of its citizens. The middle class is
doing fine. Leave it alone.
 Summary For Source 1
Source 1 talks about the middle class life and how the middle class is
better than the working class/poor class but not as great as the
higher class.
Also talks about how middle class children get their education and
wore much cleaner clothes and got a better lifestyle than most.
Source 2
 Summary for Source 2
Source 2, this picture comes from the site, koveikisucir.weebly.com . It
shows that the middle class children, especially females get their
education unlike the working class and the poor class, who dont get their
education and work all day everyday.